1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a flexible alarm bypass module for a vehicle which may find particular application when installing an after-market product, such as a remote vehicle starter, into a vehicle which includes a vehicle alarm system.
2. Discussion of the Background
After-market remote vehicle starters are products which have been on the market for several years. A remote vehicle starter allows a vehicle operator to push a button on a key-chain transmitter to remotely start the vehicle from a few hundred feet away. Such remote vehicle starters are particularly convenient as they allow a vehicle to be turned on, and thereby a heater or air conditioner in the vehicle to be turned on, prior to the operator reaching the vehicle.
However, such after-market remote vehicle starters require the installer to mount and wire up a receiver module/controller under the dash of the vehicle. Such an installation may be troublesome in certain cases.
Particularly, vehicle alarms (security systems) are becoming more and more prevalent in newer vehicles as original manufacturer equipment (OEM). Such vehicle alarms significantly complicate an installation of an after-market remote vehicle starter. Such vehicle alarms become a problem because a remote vehicle starter starts the vehicle without having the key in the ignition, or without taking other steps which the vehicle alarms typically monitor to determine whether the vehicle is being tampered with. Manufacturers of remote vehicle starters typically publish "tech tips" for many different types of vehicles to show how to temporarily bypass the vehicle alarm system when the remote vehicle starter starts up, to avoid setting off the vehicle alarm when the vehicle is started or to allow the vehicle to be started remotely.
There are several types of vehicle alarm systems currently being used by different vehicle manufacturers. Some vehicle alarm systems utilize resistors in the vehicle key which the alarm system detects. Some other vehicle alarm systems utilize a transponder in a vehicle key head, such that the transponder communicates with the vehicle alarm system to indicate to the vehicle alarm system that the proper key is being utilized in the vehicle ignition. Even within each of those different types of vehicle alarm systems, there are different variations between different vehicle manufacturers.
As a result of the variety of vehicle alarm systems currently implemented, a purchaser or an installer of an after-market remote vehicle starter requires many circuits, including a variety of resistors and relays, to get around those types of vehicle alarm systems. The number of connections required to make each type of remote vehicle starting system work in conjunction with the vehicle alarm system can become significantly complicated.
One manner of addressing the above-noted problem is to provide separate installation modules for the remote vehicle starters geared toward each type of vehicle alarm system. The drawback with such a system is that it requires the manufacturing and inventorying of a large number of different modules which may have to take into consideration not only the different types of vehicle alarm systems, but also possibly variations within each type from the different vehicle manufacturers.